Auburn Names Starting QB For Iron Bowl

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers have had a rotating door at quarterback over the Tigers' last four games, with Jackson Arnold starting Auburn's 33-24 victory over Arkansas before he was benched mid-game for Ashton Daniels. Daniels then started the Tigers' 10-3 loss to Kentucky and 45-38 loss to Vanderbilt, before Deuce Knight took first-team reps over Auburn's bye week and the week leading up to the Mercer Bears, with Knight getting his first career start last Saturday.

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Auburn has struggled at quarterback this season, with Arnold not living up to preseason expectations, but Daniels provided life to the offense despite the loss to Vanderbilt with a 353-yard and four-touchdown performance, and Knight continued the momentum in the Tigers' 62-17 win over Mercer with 401 total yards and six total touchdowns. But which quarterback will start Saturday night as Auburn tries to not only ruin Alabama's chances at the SEC Championship, but also secure the Tigers' first bowl game appearance since the 2023 Music City Bowl?

Auburn interim head coach DJ Durkin didn't leave it a mystery for long, announcing during his Monday press conference that senior quarterback Ashton Daniels will start the Iron Bowl.

Nathan King of Auburn Undercover reports that Daniels was still involved during the two weeks that Knight was with the first-team offense, and even took over scout team reps to help the Tigers prepare for upcoming opponents.

"I wanted him to keep the speed of the game going, and he helped our defense," Durkin said. "With Deuce [Knight] and Jackson [Arnold] very involved in the game plan, he approached it the right way. He'll be just fine."

Alabama and Auburn will kick off the 90th edition of the Iron Bowl on Saturday, November 29, at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.